Sporticast 459: Have Fans Hit a Breaking Point?
On the latest Sporticast episode, host Jacob Feldman speaks to Joon Lee about Lee's recent opinion piece in the New York Times: How the N.B.A. and M.L.B. Shattered America's Sports Culture, which appeared to strike a chord online.
Lee explains his perspective, as a sportswriter and as a fan, that teams and leagues are taking advantage of supporters. As he says, recent growth—from new investors to new media deals to new international efforts—could threaten the bonds that make sports a central component of American culture.
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Now, Lee says, fans have the ability to fight for change. The two discuss how three decades of media turmoil have in some ways made being a sports fan better than ever, with more access to games and more ways to engage with athletes, while at the same time making it more expensive (and less attractive) to become a diehard fan in the first place. There are also more alternatives than ever, from video games to TikTok, that threaten sports' cultural hegemony.
Some fans are already frustrated by the feeling of 'rooting for laundry.' But as franchises become increasingly financialized and analytics-driven, could the sensation of cheering for a spreadsheet be even more of a turn off?
Lee also compares American sports to the Premier League, where certain fan rights are established, but where parity appears impossible. At the moment, college and women's pro sports offer alternative structures, though that too is changing.
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Lastly Lee discusses why he still considers himself a fan, even after witnessing so much upheaval.
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